Lesson Topic- US Occupation of Japan
Lesson Objectives- By the end of this lesson, the student will
1. Describe 3 of the obstacles faced by Japan after WWII
2. Describe 3 of the United State’s goals for Japan after WWII
3. Describe 3 of the obstacle faced by the United States in post war Japan
4. Formulate at least 4 recommendations to the United States about how best to address the issue of the occupation of Japan.
Materials
1. smart board or tv with internet access
2. NARA video worksheet
Attention Grabber- Show students a short clip of a representative of the Japanese Emperor signing the “instrument of surrender” on September 2, 1945 on the Battleship Missouri, ending WWII. Next, have students “free write” in their journals a response to one of the following prompts (half the class responds to prompt A, the other half to prompt B):
PROMPT A
What do you think the Japanese people (civilians, soldiers, families of soldiers, the Emperor, etc…) were thinking on this day?
PROMPT B
What do you think the American people (civilians, soldiers, families of soldiers, the President, etc…) were thinking on this day?
Procedure
1. When time is up, have students find a partner who wrote a response to the opposite prompt. At the teacher’s cue, students who wrote a response to prompt A should begin talking/summarizing (give students 2-3 minutes). If necessary, the student who is listening can record brief notes, since they will be expected to summarize what they hear. When time is up, reverse roles. When done, the teacher signals students to return to their seats and then randomly selects some students to summarize their partner’s thoughts. During the summaries, the teacher or another student should record key points on the white board or smart board.
Transition
1. Show students the CIA map of Japan so that they understand where Japan is located and who its neighbors are.
2. Next, students will view a video that was shown to almost every American solider who served in occupied Japan after the war. The video, entitled “Our Job in Japan”, is a powerful piece of military propaganda.
Note: For part I of “Our Job in Japan,” there is a link under the video player you will see when you go to the site linked above.
Procedure
1. While the video is showing students should complete an NARA video worksheet.
2. At the conclusion of the video allow students to partner up and compare NARA worksheets, helping each other when appropriate.
3. When students have completed the NARA worksheets, reconvene the class for the purpose of a whole group discussion. Distribute a graphic organizer to assist in note taking. During this discussion, students will consider objectives 1-3 and offer their answers.
Homework
Formulate at least 4 recommendations to the United States about how best to address the issue of the occupation of Japan. Write a paragraph defending each recommendation.
Joe,
I like how you have student's write from different perspectives (Japanese or American). By asking students to do this, I think you are encouraging them to see things in a more open mind and therefore allow them to see how powerful propoganda can be and how it is used. I also like how you pair the students up to a student who had the opposite prompt. This also shows students that there is always another side to every story. Jeanine
Joe,
I really like how you are using both a video source and a map source for this assignment. I also like how you are having your students examine the information from differing perspectives. This should result in some interesting conversations/debates between your students. (Rob)
Lesson Objectives- By the end of this lesson, the student will
1. Describe 3 of the obstacles faced by Japan after WWII
2. Describe 3 of the United State’s goals for Japan after WWII
3. Describe 3 of the obstacle faced by the United States in post war Japan
4. Formulate at least 4 recommendations to the United States about how best to address the issue of the occupation of Japan.
Materials
1. smart board or tv with internet access
2. NARA video worksheet
Attention Grabber- Show students a short clip of a representative of the Japanese Emperor signing the “instrument of surrender” on September 2, 1945 on the Battleship Missouri, ending WWII. Next, have students “free write” in their journals a response to one of the following prompts (half the class responds to prompt A, the other half to prompt B):
PROMPT A
What do you think the Japanese people (civilians, soldiers, families of soldiers, the Emperor, etc…) were thinking on this day?
PROMPT B
What do you think the American people (civilians, soldiers, families of soldiers, the President, etc…) were thinking on this day?
Link to Video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VRvd8Ic-AQ0&feature=fvw
Procedure
1. When time is up, have students find a partner who wrote a response to the opposite prompt. At the teacher’s cue, students who wrote a response to prompt A should begin talking/summarizing (give students 2-3 minutes). If necessary, the student who is listening can record brief notes, since they will be expected to summarize what they hear. When time is up, reverse roles. When done, the teacher signals students to return to their seats and then randomly selects some students to summarize their partner’s thoughts. During the summaries, the teacher or another student should record key points on the white board or smart board.
Transition
1. Show students the CIA map of Japan so that they understand where Japan is located and who its neighbors are.
CIA Map of Japan (from American Memory Collection)
http://tiny.cc/QzDDU
2. Next, students will view a video that was shown to almost every American solider who served in occupied Japan after the war. The video, entitled “Our Job in Japan”, is a powerful piece of military propaganda.
3. Show part II of the video-
Link to “Our Job in Japan” (part II)
http://www.realmilitaryflix.com/public/528.cfm?sd=39
Note: For part I of “Our Job in Japan,” there is a link under the video player you will see when you go to the site linked above.
Procedure
1. While the video is showing students should complete an NARA video worksheet.
2. At the conclusion of the video allow students to partner up and compare NARA worksheets, helping each other when appropriate.
3. When students have completed the NARA worksheets, reconvene the class for the purpose of a whole group discussion. Distribute a graphic organizer to assist in note taking. During this discussion, students will consider objectives 1-3 and offer their answers.
Homework
Formulate at least 4 recommendations to the United States about how best to address the issue of the occupation of Japan. Write a paragraph defending each recommendation.
Joe,
I like how you have student's write from different perspectives (Japanese or American). By asking students to do this, I think you are encouraging them to see things in a more open mind and therefore allow them to see how powerful propoganda can be and how it is used. I also like how you pair the students up to a student who had the opposite prompt. This also shows students that there is always another side to every story.
Jeanine
Joe,
I really like how you are using both a video source and a map source for this assignment. I also like how you are having your students examine the information from differing perspectives. This should result in some interesting conversations/debates between your students. (Rob)